Nostalgic flight keeps the Pashley spirit alive

Houseboats pictured from 400ft up, on the climb out PICTURE: MIKE WOOLDRIDGE

A NOSTALGIC flight from Shoreham Airport brought back happy memories for a former RAF cadet.

Mike Wooldridge, of Riverbank, Shoreham, took to the air in the Tiger Moth, Spirit of Pashley, last week.

Back in 1960, Mr Wooldridge had learned to fly with Cecil Pashley at Shoreham, as a 17-year-old RAF cadet, having won a flying scholarship while at Brighton Grammar School.

He said: “It was a flight full of memories, as it was the great Pashley who taught me.

“There were no runways then, few other Shoreham aeroplanes, and no radio or intercom – you throttled back and shouted down the speaking tube.”

He said he had had the nostalgic flight in mind for years and the conditions last Monday were perfect. The sun was shining, it was a high spring tide at 3pm – important for good houseboat shots, and, unusually, there was a south east wind.

The plane was given special permission from the control tower to do three circles over the houseboats at Riverbank, in order to get some good photographs.

The plane is owned by Ian Perry, of PerryAir, and the flight came the day after it had been brought out of its winter storage, complete with new engine.